ERIC Number: ED214476
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1981-Jul-1
Pages: 33
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Accessible Transit: A Survey of the Riders of Wheelchair-Accessible Buses at the University of Minnesota.
Matross, Ronald
OSA Research Bulletin, v22 n1 Jul 1 1981
Results of a survey of riders of wheelchair-accessible buses at the University of Minnesota are summarized. Handicapped and nonhandicapped riders were surveyed in May 1981 to determine their personal characteristics and their reactions to the service. Responses from 1,236 riders indicated support for the concept of accessible transit and satisfaction with the current service. Both disabled and nondisabled gave relatively high marks to the current service. Ten percent or fewer said that the routes, the number of buses, the comfort, the number of stops, and the ease of getting on and off the buses needed improvement. Many of the 63 people with physical disabilities who were riding the buses on the day of the survey were not only positive toward the service, but reported that the service had benefited them in several ways. Most said that the service had saved them energy and effort, and had made them less likely to be late for classes. Approximately a third said that the service had expanded the range of alternatives they would consider taking, or had already allowed them to take courses that they could not have taken otherwise. Ninety-four percent of respondents said that the special bus service should be continued or expanded. Most riders knew that they were riding a specially equipped bus, although about one in six did not. About 80 percent of all riders had ridden on the adapted buses at least once in the previous week. Those with disabilities were more likely to have ridden five to eight times in the past week (30 percent) than were those without disabilities (15 percent). The questionnaire is appended. (SW)
Descriptors: Accessibility (for Disabled), Bus Transportation, College Students, Commuting Students, Higher Education, Institutional Research, Physical Disabilities, Physical Mobility, Questionnaires, School Buses, School Surveys, Student Attitudes, Student Personnel Services, Travel, Use Studies, Wheelchairs
University of Minnesota, Office of Student Affairs, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Publication Type: Collected Works - Serials; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Office for Student Affairs.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A